|
|
Ghana: Silence and Secrecy Spreading HIV/Aids
 |
 |
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
Accra Mail (Accra)
13 May 2008
Posted to the web 13 May 2008
Ernest Kissiedu
Accra
A human resource officer at the Ghana Aids Commission (GAC), Mr. Richard Dodoo has said the current atmosphere of silence and secrecy about HIV status is the result of the way Persons Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) are treated.
"Most people with HIV do not reveal their status to friends, extended family and colleagues due to the way they are treated. People believe that PLWHAs are immoral and sinners and contracted the virus through promiscuous lifestyles. Some are isolated because they are perceived to be a true reflection of danger and others suffer instances of discrimination from health workers and even at their work place. Some end up losing their jobs." He was speaking at this year's Mother's Day organized by TV3, a television station in Accra.
By stigmatizing HIV/AIDS patients as being immoral, unfaithful, sinners and witches, he said, society marginalizes them and creates an environment that forces them to go underground.
"They hide their HIV/AIDS status and most likely infect other people with the consequence of increase in the spread of the epidemic", he said.
He said the stigmatization and discrimination against PLWHAs are the most critical barriers to their involvement in prevention, care and treatment actions.
Mr. Dodoo said condemnation must be a thing of the past: "All of us must change our negative attitudes and show more compassion to women, girls and boys who were unfortunately infected with HIV/AIDS".
He said HIV/AIDS should not be seen just as a disease but rather as a major developmental and human right issue.
Mrs. Margaret Naa Oyoe Adjei, a Principal Nursing Officer at the Maternity Department of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital advised pregnant women to undergo voluntary counselling and testing to know their HIV status.
This, she said, would help prevent further transmission of the HIV virus from the infected mother to her unborn child.
|
She said the hospital has been educating and encouraging pregnant women to go through the test. "Not all babies are tested positive", she said.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Copyright © 2008 Accra Mail. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Make allAfrica.com your home page | RSS Feed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top | Site Guide | Who We Are | Advertising | Search | Subscribe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Questions or Comments? Contact us. Read our Privacy Statement. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
